CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

COMPANION VOLUME BY THE SAME AUTHOR

CHATS ON
ENGLISH EARTHENWARE

With Coloured Frontispiece and 150 Illustrations and Tables of over 200 Illustrated Marks.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER
I.How to Collect: A Chapter for Beginners
II.Early Ware
III.English Delft
IV.Stoneware
V.Early Staffordshire Ware—Thomas Whieldon: HisContemporaries and Successors
VI.Salt-glazed Ware, Staffordshire
VII.Josiah Wedgwood
VIII.The School of Wedgwood
IX.Leeds and other Factories
X.Transfer-printed Ware
XI.Staffordshire Figures
XII.Swansea and other Factories
XIII.Lustre Ware
XIV.Late Staffordshire Ware
Index

CHATS ON
ENGLISH CHINA

BOOKS FOR COLLECTORS

With Frontispieces and many Illustrations.

CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA.
By Arthur Hayden.

CHATS ON OLD FURNITURE.
By Arthur Hayden.

CHATS ON OLD PRINTS.
(How to collect and value Old Engravings.)
By Arthur Hayden.

CHATS ON COSTUME.
By G. Woolliscroft Rhead.

CHATS ON OLD LACE AND NEEDLEWORK.
By E. L. Lowes.

CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA.
By J. F. Blacker.

CHATS ON OLD MINIATURES.
By J. J. Foster, F.S.A.

CHATS ON ENGLISH EARTHENWARE.
(Companion volume to “Chats on English China.”)
By Arthur Hayden.

CHATS ON AUTOGRAPHS.
By A. M. Broadley.

CHATS ON PEWTER.
By H. J. L. J. Massé, M.A.

CHATS ON POSTAGE STAMPS.
By Fred. J. Melville.

CHATS ON OLD JEWELLERY AND TRINKETS
By MacIver Percival.

CHATS ON COTTAGE AND FARMHOUSE FURNITURE.
(Companion volume to “Chats on Old Furniture.”)
By Arthur Hayden.

CHATS ON OLD COINS
By Fred. W. Burgess.

CHATS ON OLD COPPER AND BRASS.
By Fred. W. Burgess.

CHATS ON HOUSEHOLD CURIOS.
By Fred. W. Burgess.

CHATS ON OLD SILVER.
By Arthur Hayden.

CHATS ON JAPANESE PRINTS.
By Arthur Davison Ficke.

CHATS ON MILITARY CURIOS.
By Stanley C. Johnson.

CHATS ON OLD CLOCKS AND WATCHES.
By Arthur Hayden.

CHATS ON ROYAL COPENHAGEN PORCELAIN.
By Arthur Hayden.

CHATS ON OLD SHEFFIELD PLATE.
(Companion volume to “Chats on Old Silver.”)
By Arthur Hayden.

BYE PATHS OF CURIO COLLECTING.
By Arthur Hayden.
With Frontispiece and 72 Full page Illustrations. 21s. net.

LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN, LTD.
NEW YORK: F. A. STOKES COMPANY.

WORCESTER VASE.

From the Collection of the late Lady Charlotte Schreiber in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Reproduced by permission of the Board of Education.

Chats on
English China

BY
ARTHUR HAYDEN
AUTHOR OF “CHATS ON ENGLISH EARTHENWARE,”
“CHATS ON OLD SILVER,” ETC.

Bloor Derby Teapot

WITH 150 ILLUSTRATIONS

T. FISHER UNWIN LTD
LONDON: ADELPHI TERRACE

First Edition1904
Second Edition1906
Third Impression1907
Third Edition1909
Fifth Impression1910
Sixth Impression1912
Seventh Impression1917
Eighth Impression1919
Fourth Edition1920

(All rights reserved)

TO
JOSEPHINE HAMILTON

[PREFACE TO FOURTH EDITION]

A certain amount of necessary revision has been given to the volume.

The prices obtained at public auction for representative examples have been brought up to date, and ten new illustrations have been added.

ARTHUR HAYDEN.

September, 1920.

[PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION]

This edition has been slightly revised and corrected. Throughout the volume many new illustrations appear in place of those in the first edition, and their selection has been made in order to show more clearly the characteristics of the china as dealt with in the letterpress.

In addition to these, twenty new illustrations have been added, and I have to acknowledge my indebtedness to Messrs. Wedgwood & Sons, by whose courtesy I am enabled to reproduce examples from their museum at Etruria, and fine examples after Flaxman, including specimens of dinner-ware which are now being manufactured by the firm from the old designs by that artist.

I have similarly to acknowledge my obligation to Messrs. W. T. Copeland & Sons, of Stoke-upon-Trent (the successors of Spode), for several illustrations of the ware from their factory, and to Messrs. Minton for some fine specimens of their productions.

It is my hope that this improvement will make the volume more useful as a practical working handbook for the collector.

To the great number of enthusiasts who have written to me in connection with this volume and with the Dilettante pages in the Lady’s Pictorial, I tender a grateful and appreciative acknowledgment.

ARTHUR HAYDEN.

March, 1906.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

In regard to English Earthenware, which appeals to a wide circle of collectors, I have, in response to many readers who have written to me on the subject, prepared a companion volume to this, entitled “Chats on English Earthenware.” The subject is treated from a collecting point of view, and a large number of carefully selected photographic reproductions of typical examples illustrate the letterpress.

Those who are interested in the outline sketch of English Earthenware given in the concluding chapters of this volume, and desire greater detail, will find a completer record in the companion volume.

A. H.

January, 1909.

BOW TEAPOT.

With leaf as spout, and grape-vine handle.

[PREFACE]

This little volume has been primarily written with a view to enable the possessors of old china to determine the factories at which their ware was produced. A modest attempt has been made to show that the china-shelf is a record of men’s triumphs and failures, and the fantastic shepherds and shepherdesses, lustrous bowls, queer printed dishes, and bizarre decorated jugs, may be regarded by a reflective mind as so many symbols representing something less perishable than the clay of the potter.

These “Chats” originally appeared in the pages of Our Home. In collecting them in volume form I trust that they will appeal to a wider circle of readers.

Never was a greater interest taken in Art, and the growth of popular literature has developed a taste for objects of art in the home. The china-shelf is now regarded as worthy of keen and discriminating study. Its treasures, often heirlooms, have been brought into the light of day, and amateur collectors can now be numbered by thousands.

I am enabled to include a useful feature in the list of prices obtained at recent sales, by kind permission of the proprietors of the Connoisseur, whose “Sale Prices,” published monthly, is most valuable to the collector.

It is hoped that the Bibliography of works on china and pottery may be of use to those who wish to study the subject more deeply, and a copious Index will prove useful for ready reference.

The “Chats” relating to Lustre Ware, Old English Mugs, and Wedgwood are not upon English china, but deal with earthenware; they are included in the volume in order to increase its scope and usefulness.

My thanks are due to Mr. W. G. Honey, of Cork, for kindly allowing me to reproduce specimens from his collection which was exhibited at the Cork Exhibition. I am indebted to Mr. A. Merrington Smith, Fine Art Dealer, of Lowestoft, for information concerning the recent unearthing of moulds and fragments of china on the site of the old factory at Lowestoft, a discovery of very great value. By permission of the Coalport Company I am giving specimens of their modern productions and some of their marks not published before.

ARTHUR HAYDEN.

[CONTENTS]

PAGE
[PREFACE][xi]
[LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS][xv]
[BIBLIOGRAPHY][xxi]
[GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED][xxiii]
CHAT
[I.] OLD DERBY[1]
[II.]CHELSEA CHINA[27]
[III.]THE BOW CHINA FACTORY[49]
[IV.]OLD WORCESTER[67]
[V.]PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL CHINA[91]
[VI.]THE LOWESTOFT FACTORY[111]
[VII.]COALPORT[133]
[ VIII.]SPODE AND HIS SUCCESSORS[149]
[IX.]NANTGARW AND SWANSEA[163]
[X.]MINTON[179]
[XI.]OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE[191]
[XII.]LUSTRE WARE[219]
[XIII.]LIVERPOOL WARE[235]
[XIV.]WEDGWOOD[247]
[INDEX][279]

[LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS]

[Frontispiece.]
Worcester Vase. From the Collection of the late LadyCharlotte Schreiber in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Chat I.—Old Derby.
PAGE
Bloor Derby Teapot[v]
Early Crown Derby Cup and Saucer[3]
Old Derby Marks[7]
Derby Figure Group[9]
Crown Derby Pastille-burner[11]
Crown Derby Mug and Saucer[13]
Bloor Derby Marks[16]
Crown Derby Vase and Bloor Derby Pastille-burner[17]
Later Derby Marks[20]
Chat II.—Chelsea China.
Chelsea Figure[27]
Figure of Carpenter[29]
Chelsea Vase in British Museum[31]
Chelsea Marks[34]
Chelsea Marks[35]
“Foundling” Vase[38]
Derby-Chelsea Marks[39]
Chat III.—The Bow China Factory.
Bow Vase, with CoverFacing page [48]
Bow Inkstand[49]
Bow Figure[50]
Bow Marks[53], [54]
Bow Plate and Teapot[56]
Bow Cups[57]
Bow Marks[60]
Chat IV.—Old Worcester.
Early Blue and White Worcester PlateFacing page [66]
Old Worcester Transfer-printed Group[67]
Old Worcester Marks[70]
Old Worcester, King of Prussia Mug[73]
Worcester Dish[77]
Flight and Barr Marks[78]
Chamberlain Marks[78]
Kerr and Binns Marks[79]
Grainger, Lee and Co. Marks[79]
Scent-bottle (Chamberlain)[80]
Grainger, Lee and Co. Vases[81]
Chat V.—Plymouth and Bristol China.
White Porcelain GoatFacing page [90]
Salt-cellar, Plymouth[91]
White Porcelain Dish, Plymouth[94]
Vase, Plymouth[95]
Plymouth Marks[96]
Bristol Porcelain[97]
Bristol Vase and CoverFacing page [98]
Bristol Marks[100]
Bristol Cup and Saucer from Edmund Burke’s Service[102]
Bristol Vase[103]
Chat VI.—The Lowestoft Factory.
Lowestoft, Panels of Dish (detail)[111]
Lowestoft Sauce-boats, with Fragment of Mould[113]
Blue and White Delft Marriage Plate[114]
Old Lowestoft Cups and Saucers[117]
Dated Lowestoft Mug[118]
Interior of Old Lowestoft Factory (Digging for Moulds)[122]
Toy Teapot and Cream Jug[123]
Dated Lowestoft Mugs and Jug[125]
Lowestoft Blue and White Jug[128]
Inkstand[129]
Chat VII.—Coalport.
Two-handled Cup, richly gilded[133]
Old Coalport—Covered Cup and Saucer[135]
Caughley, Old Blue Mug[137]
Early Marks[139]
Coalport Vase[141]
Coalport Marks[142]
Latest ditto[143]
Old Coalport Vase[145]
Chat VIII.—Spode and his Successors.
Copeland Vases[149]
Spode Plates[151]
Spode Pastille-burner[152]
Spode Marks[154]
Spode Plate[155]
Copeland Marks[156]
Copeland Plates[157]
Chat IX.—Nantgarw and Swansea.
Swansea Vase[163]
Nantgarw Plates[165]
Nantgarw Dish[167]
Fine Swansea Vase and CoverFacing page [170]
Swansea Marks[171]
Swansea Plate[172]
Swansea Vase (Dillwyn’s Etruscan Ware)[173]
Chat X.—Minton.
Minton VaseFacing page [178]
Minton Dish[181]
Minton Marks[182]
Minton Vase[183]
Later Minton Marks[184]
Lion Ewer (Henri II. Ware)[185]
Minton Candelabrum[186]
Majolica Plaque[189]
Chat XI.—Old English Earthenware.
Bust of Prince Rupert[191]
Sunderland Jug[193]
Old Jug—John Bull[198]
The Vicar and Moses[199]
Sunderland Frog Mug[203]
Old Delft Mug (dated 1631)[206]
Group of Old English dated Ware[209]
Old Puzzle Jug[212]
Marks on Mason’s Ware[216]
Group of Mason’s Jugs[217]
Chat XII.—Lustre Ware.
Silver Lustre Jug[219]
Copper Lustre Jugs[221]
Group of Copper Lustre Ware[222]
Copper Lustre Bust[223]
Copper Lustre Jugs[225]
Copper Lustre Jug[226]
Silver Lustre Sugar-bowl[227]
Silver Lustre Jugs[228]
Silver Lustre Teapot[229]
Silver Lustre Jug (White Decoration)[231]
Gold Lustre Jug[232]
Chat XIII.—Liverpool Ware.
Liverpool Delft Punch Bowl[235]
Old Liverpool Tiles[237]
Early Liverpool Marks[240]
Liverpool Marks[241]
Old Liverpool Mug[243]
Old Liverpool Jug (two positions)[244]
Liverpool Mug[245]
Chat XIV.—Wedgwood.
Wedgwood Dinner Plates[247]
Wedgwood. Jasper Cup and Saucer[249]
Whieldon Tortoiseshell Ware[251]
Wedgwood Terra-cotta Vases[256]
Wedgwood. Jasper Vase[258]
Blue Jasper Vase and Pedestal[259]
Plaque designed by Flaxman. Mercury uniting thehands of England and France[260]
Portland Vase[261]
Wedgwood and Bentley Mark[269]
Old Wedgwood Teapot[271]
Wedgwood Plaque. Designed by Lady DianaBeauclerkFacing page [278]
Additional Plates in Third Edition.
Bow Teapotpage [xi]
Derby Figure of PeacockFacingpage[20]
Chelsea Figures of Birds””[34]
Chelsea Figure and CandlestickFacing page [40]
Pair of Bow Figures””[54]
Bow Cups””[60]
Worcester Plate””[68]
Pair of Worcester Vases””[70]
Rare Lowestoft Coffee-Pot””[120]
Additional Plates in Fourth Edition. 1920.
Derby Cups and SaucersFacing page [22]
Chelsea Dishes””[36]
Chelsea. Pair of Groups, Dancing Figures””[42]
Bow. Figure of Britannia””[52]
Bow Teapot, Chinese Style, and Platepage [56]
Worcester TeapotFacing page [68]
Worcester Mug, Transfer printed””[76]
Lowestoft Jug (1772), Mug (1792)page [125]

[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

General.—Catalogue of Specimens of British Pottery and Porcelain in the Museum of Practical Geology. 1876. (Out of print.)

(This Collection is now at the Bethnal Green Museum.)

Marks and Monograms on Pottery and Porcelain. William Chaffers.

(The last edition, 1901, contains over 3,500 Potters’ marks of all the well-known European and Oriental factories.)

Ceramic Art of Great Britain. 2 vols. Llewellyn Jewitt. 1878.

The China Collector’s Pocket Companion. Mrs. Bury Palliser.

(Containing marks only—arranged in order.)

Old English Pottery. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Freeth. (Morgan, Thompson, & Jamison.)

English Porcelain. A. H. Church. 1904.

English Earthenware. A. H. Church. 1884.

Art of the Old English Potter. By M. L. Solon.

History of Old English Porcelain. By M. L. Solon. 1903.

History and Description of English Porcelain. By Wm. Burton. Cassell & Co. 1902.

History and Description of English Pottery. By Wm. Burton. 1906.

Examples of Early English Pottery. John Eliot Hodgkin, F.S.A., and Edith Hodgkin. 1891.

Pre-Wedgwood English Pottery (Solon Collection). Connoisseur, December, 1901; February, 1902.

Pottery and Porcelain, A Guide to Collectors. F. Litchfield. 1900.

Catalogue of English Porcelain at British Museum. R. L. Hobson. 1905.

Guide to English Pottery and Porcelain at British Museum. R. L. Hobson. 1910.

Catalogue of Schreiber Collection at Victoria and Albert Museum. B. Rackham. 1915.

Particular. Bow, Chelsea, and Derby Porcelain. William Bemrose. 1898.

Bristol, Two Centuries of Ceramic Art in. Hugh Owen. 1873.

Chelsea China. Connoisseur, March, 1903.

Bow Porcelain. Burlington Magazine, vol. xxv., 1914.

Bristol Porcelain. Burlington Magazine, vol. xx., 1912.

Old Derby China Factory. John Haslem. 1876.

Liverpool, The Art of Pottery in. Joseph Mayer. 1855.

Liverpool Catalogue of Pottery and Porcelain. P. Entwistle. 1907.

The Liverpool Potters. C. T. Gatty. 1882.

Lowestoft. Connoisseur, April, 1903; October, 1903. Queen, Christmas number, 1903. Lady’s Pictorial, Dec. 30, 1905.

Lowestoft China. By W. W. R. Spelman. (Jarrold, Norwich.) 1906.

Lustre Ware. Connoisseur, November, 1902.

Saltglaze Teapots, Old English. Connoisseur, February, 1903.

Staffordshire Potteries, History of the. S. Shaw. 1829.

Swansea and Nantgarw, The Ceramics of. William Turner. 1897.

Toby Jugs and their Near Relatives. Lady’s Pictorial, Jan., 1906.

Transfer Printing on Pottery. Burlington Magazine, vol. vi., 1904-5.

Wedgwood, Life of Josiah. Miss Meteyard. 1865.

—— Memorials of Miss Meteyard. 1874.

—— Connoisseur, May, 1903.

—— A. H. Church. (Portfolio Monograph.)

Worcester China. A Century of Potting in the City of Worcester. R. W. Binns. 1877.

Worcester China. A Record of the Work of Forty-five Years (1852-1897). R. W. Binns. 1898.

Old Worcester. Connoisseur, October, 1902.

Worcester Porcelain. R. L. Hobson. 1910.

[GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED]

Biscuit.—The first stage of china after being fired. It is white and porous, and ready for decoration. Its surface resembles that of an ordinary clay pipe.

China.—A term used to include all porcelains.

Earthenware.—All ware that, in contradistinction to porcelain, is not translucent.

Glaze.—The glassy substance applied to the surface of pottery and porcelain.

Lead Glaze.—The porcelains of Bow, Chelsea, and other early factories contained as much as 40 per cent. of oxide of lead. Modern chinas contain less than half that, and some glazes are “leadless.” As to the terrible results of the use of this glaze on the health of the potters, see Report of Professors Thorpe and Oliver to Home Office on subject (C. 9207, 1899).

Over-Glaze Decoration.—Decoration after the surface has received its transparent glaze. This decoration admits of a wider range of colours. On hard paste, such as Plymouth, it stands flat on the surface; on soft paste, such as Bow, it is partly incorporated.

Under-Glaze Decoration.—Decoration applied to the unglazed surface when in biscuit state; the whole is then covered with transparent glaze and refired.

Ironstone China.—A term invented by Mason, who took out a patent for his ware. It is not china, but is a heavy class of earthenware highly decorated. It was generally adopted by other Staffordshire makers.

Moulds.—The models from which china is made. These are of plaster of Paris.

Opaque.—Incapable of transmitting light. This distinguishes pottery from porcelain.

Paste.—The body or material of which porcelain is made.

Hard.—China which, on being broken, shows a sparkling surface like that of a flint stone, and is impervious to any staining by colour applied to it. Plymouth and Bristol and New Hall are the only true hard-paste porcelains of this country.

Soft.—China which, on being broken, shows a porous surface capable of absorbing colour.

Porcelain.—Commonly called china; is distinguished from pottery by being translucent.

True Porcelain is made from a mixture of two minerals—petuntse, or “china stone,” and kaolin, or “china clay,” with nothing artificially added; e.g., Chinese, Dresden, Plymouth, and Bristol chinas.

Glassy Porcelain, containing an artificial admixture of glass to give the paste translucency; e.g., Chelsea, Bow, Nantgarw, Pinxton.

Bone-ash Porcelain, of which Spode’s china is an example.

Pottery.—A term used to include all the earthenwares.

Printing.—Formerly, in old chinas, all the coloured decorations were painted. Now, by use of various mechanical devices, women and girls are employed to transfer printed patterns on modern china.

Transfer-printing.—A process used at Liverpool by Sadler and Green, and at Worcester, in which the design from an engraved copper plate was transferred to specially prepared paper and applied to the ware. Black and brown were the main colours used (see Illustrations, pp. [244-5] and facing [p. 76]).

Translucent.—Transparent. All porcelains, when held up to a strong light, are translucent, in varying degree, according to thickness of paste.

I
OLD
DERBY

EARLY CROWN DERBY CUP AND SAUCER.

In Victoria and Albert Museum.

CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

I
OLD DERBY

It is not too much to hope that the eyes of some reader will stray into these pages as a wanderer in a strange land, one whose interest in china has never been awakened. We hope to lure such a wight with sweet cajolery. If perchance we can get him to examine one or two dainty specimens of old blue china we shall have him enmeshed in our toils. If he be an artist he will not escape from the enchantment of Derby and of Worcester. If he be a mere business man, here is an item from Messrs. Christie’s catalogue of a sale on January 14, 1902: “Coffee-pot and cover, Worcester. Painted with figures, birds, and flowers, in colours in Chinese taste, and with alternate dark-blue scale-pattern panels—£28 7s.” And this, mark you, is an ordinary item selected at random, a business sample, if you will.

Mr. Andrew Lang, in one of his “Ballades in Blue China,” has cunningly put into rhyme a poet’s reason for his love of china:—

“There’s a joy without canker or cark,

There’s a pleasure eternally new;

’Tis to gloat on the glaze and the mark

Of china that’s ancient and blue,

Unchipped all the centuries through,

It has passed, since the chime of it rang,

And they fashioned it, figure and hue,

In the reign of the Emperor Hwang.”

We should be less than human if we did not point the moral by quoting the delicious sentences of a City man (one can hardly imagine Charles Lamb a City man journeying daily to Leadenhall Street!) concerning—

“Those little, lawless, azure-tinctured grotesques that, under the notion of men and women, float about, uncircumscribed by any element, in that world before perspective—a china teacup.... Here is a young and courtly mandarin handing tea to a lady from a salver—two miles off. See how distance seems to set off respect. And here the same lady, or another—for likeness is identity on teacups—is stepping into a little fairy boat, moored on the hither side of this calm garden river, with a dainty, mincing foot, which, in a right angle of incidence (as angles go in our world), must infallibly land her in the midst of a flowery mead—a furlong off on the other side of the same strange stream!”

And now, having brought you thus far, reader, will you not journey with us and learn something of the magic and the mysteries of old china? We are a goodly company, and if you have a fine eye, a pretty fancy for your own taste, and a keen zest for a bargain, join hands with us.

Derby holds a high place in the history of British porcelain, inasmuch as it was here that its manufacture was matured, and the ability and perseverance of three generations of the Duesbury family raised the productions to the level of those of the great European factories.

It is generally believed that the manufacture of china first sprang into existence at Derby in 1750, about a year or so before the works at Worcester were established. There is a tradition that the first maker was a Frenchman, who lived in a small house in Lodge Lane, and who modelled and made small articles in china, principally animals—cats, dogs, lambs, sheep, &c.—which he fired in a pipemaker’s oven in the neighbourhood.

About this time there were some pot works on Cockpit Hill belonging to Alderman Heath, a banker, and the productions of the Frenchman, probably a refugee, having attracted notice, an arrangement was made between him and Heath and Duesbury by which the manufacture of porcelain would be carried on jointly. This man’s name, to whom the absolute honour of commencing the Derby China Works belongs, was Andrew Planché. A deed exists by which a partnership for ten years was entered into by the three above named. Planché found the skill and secret knowledge, Heath the money (£1,000), and Duesbury the ability to carry out the scheme.

Besides this deed there is no other record of the Frenchman, as the firm became known as “Duesbury and Heath,” and apparently the usual fate of the poor inventor overtook Planché.

William Duesbury was of Longton Hall, in Staffordshire, and was the son of a currier. By trade he was an enameller. Entries in the family Bible, in the possession of the Duesburys, prove that in 1755 he removed to Derby to carry on the newly-acquired business “in ye art of making English china, as also in buying and selling all sorts of wares belonging to ye art of making china.”

Records of the kinds of china manufactured and sent to London are interesting. There were blue fluted boats, mosaic boats, sage-leaf boats, fig-leaf sauce-boats, octagon fruit plates, vine-leaf plates, coffee cups, flower vases, blue strawberry pots, standing sheep, cats, honeycomb jars, coffee-pots, butter-tubs, Chelsea jars, teapots, figures of Mars, Minerva, &c., Spanish shepherds, candlesticks, and, of course, many varieties of plates and dishes, and cups and saucers.

Once or twice the name of the firm appears as “Duesbury and Co.,” but it is more usually “Duesbury and Heath.” Finally, it became Duesbury only.

1750.
Earliest Mark
(In gold).

Under Royal Patronage.
1773.
Marked in blue.

1782-1830.
Early—marked in puce.
Later—blue, red, green, & black.

OLD DERBY MARKS.

Coming to the marks which were used, in our illustration we have arranged them in chronological order, the earliest being at the top.

The mark used in the earliest days is not certain, but in all probability the letter D, when in gold, is one of the first used. It is, however, exceedingly rare to find a piece thus marked. This letter D may equally stand for Derby or for Duesbury.

From 1770 to 1773, the script initial

and the anchor known as the Derby-Chelsea or the Duesbury-Chelsea mark was introduced, as William Duesbury had purchased “the Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory, and its appurtenances and lease thereof,” on February 5, 1770, and made this addition to the Chelsea anchor. This mark of the Derby-Chelsea period is usually in gold, and was used both at the factory at Chelsea and at Derby. Examples of this period are of comparative rarity, and are eagerly sought after by collectors.

The Derby-Chelsea marks are given in the “Chat” on Chelsea ([p. 39]).

The works at Chelsea were not finally discontinued till 1784, when they were destroyed by Duesbury, the kilns and every part of the factory pulled down, and what was available sent off to Derby. About the year 1773, a

and a crown were used. This mark is mostly in blue, but sometimes in puce, light red, or green. This crown was added by Royal permission, because the factory had been honoured by Royal patronage.

Will my readers note that in the earlier pieces of Derby and Crown-Derby china the crown is carefully jewelled; in the later productions of the Duesbury period the mark was rudely executed, and the crown was hastily pencilled.

DERBY FIGURE GROUP.

Lady and gentleman dancing. Decorated in rich colours and gilded.

Of the introduction of the cross daggers and six spots, about the year 1782, there is the tradition that it was a defiance to all manufactories except three, viz., those of Sèvres, Dresden, and Berlin.

CROWN DERBY PASTILLE-BURNER (4 IN. HIGH).

In the Collection of the Author.

We give as a headpiece a typical example of early Crown-Derby. It represents a two-handled covered cup and saucer decorated with the well-known rich blue and gold border and festoons in pink. It is marked in puce with jewelled crown. This specimen is from the national collection now at the Bethnal Green Museum.

The vase we reproduce is 61⁄2 in. high and has the crown and crossed batons and dots, which mark has been photographed and appears in the illustration ([p. 17]). It is richly decorated and a good specimen, as is the smaller vase, or pastille-burner, with masks, and similarly marked ([p. 11]).

These two specimens, together with the Crown-Derby mug and saucer, decorated in tomato red and gold, are from the collection of Mr. W. G. Honey, which was on view at the Cork Exhibition.

The first William Duesbury died in 1785. His son, William, who had for the last few years been in partnership with him under the firm of Duesbury and Son, succeeded him. This second William Duesbury increased the fortunes of Derby china with astonishing rapidity. The King and Queen, and the Prince of Wales (afterwards George IV.), and the leaders of fashionable society were among his customers. There was a craze for a time, and titled ladies painted flowers and other pictures on the porcelain supplied to them by the Derby factory. It was afterwards fired and finished for their own special use.

Of these ladies, Lady Margaret Fordyce, Lady Plymouth, and Lady Aubrey executed some beautiful drawings, which probably still remain in their families. Lord Lonsdale had twenty-four plates painted with landscapes in Cumberland after his own sketches, and many other noblemen and gentlemen did the same.

W. G. Honey.]

[Cork.

CROWN DERBY MUG AND SAUCER.

(Tomato red and heavy gold decoration.)

MARK ON ABOVE MUG (IN RED).

On the death of Duesbury the second, his widow married his late partner, a Mr. Michael Kean, an Irishman, and clever artist. This was in 1798. But Kean hastily withdrew from the concern when the third William Duesbury came of age, who for a time carried on the factory under the firm of “Duesbury and Sheffield.” In 1815 the premises passed into the hands of Mr. Robert Bloor.

It was in the year of Waterloo that the third William Duesbury, and last of the great family of potters who had established the factory, leased the premises to Mr. Robert Bloor, who had been a clerk to his father, and had carried on the business during Mr. Duesbury’s minority. Ultimately the entire business passed into the hands of Mr. Bloor, and the name of Duesbury disappears from Derby records.

For some years up till about 1825 or 1830, Mr. Bloor used the Old Derby mark, the crown, cross daggers with dots, and D beneath, but about that period he discontinued it, and adopted instead a mark with his own name. It is well for readers to note that down to the discontinuance of the old mark, it had invariably been done with a pencil, but those adopted by Mr. Bloor were printed.

In our illustrations of the other marks used at Derby we place them in chronological order. The first printed mark used under the Bloor régime was the circle enclosing the crown, and the words “Bloor, Derby,” printed around. In some specimens, of a little later date, the mark is a trifle larger, and the crown more carefully designed. Another mark used occasionally about the year 1830 was the word “Derby” enclosed in a scroll; while on some other specimens of about the same date, or a little later an old English D, surmounted by a crown, is marked, or the word “Derby” in Roman capitals on a ribbon, appears beneath the usual crown.

BLOOR DERBY MARKS.

We now come to a rather painful chapter in the history of the Old Derby, practically a series of misdoings, which terminated the glorious career of so famous a manufactory. It is interesting to see when trade, with its somewhat ruthless methods, comes into conflict with art, with her finer susceptibilities, how art has to go to the wall. It was the same story at Derby.

CROWN DERBY VASE.

With panels, and painted with floral design in colours.

(Height 61⁄2 ins.)

Mark illustrated showing Crown, crossed batons and dots and letter D.

BLOOR-DERBY PASTILLE-BURNER.

Having perforated lid. Decorated in colours and richly gilded.

(Height 5 ins.)

With mark illustrated below.

Before Bloor’s time it had been the unvarying plan of the Duesburys—so particularly jealous were they of their reputation, and of maintaining the highest possible character of the Derby ware—to allow only perfect goods to leave the premises. However trivial the fault, the articles were not considered good enough to send out in the name of Derby. These damaged wares had accumulated to a very large extent at the manufactory. Mr. Bloor, who was not a rich man, and who was filled with the very laudable desire to make the Derby concern successful, and who, moreover, had to pay off his purchase money by instalments, caught at the chance of disposing of this accumulation of Old Derby stock. Here it was that his trade instincts overcame his love of the fine arts. Better far had it been if the whole buildings had been consumed by fire, and the old stock destroyed, than that the damaged goods should have been foisted upon the public. But it fell about otherwise, and Mr. Bloor disposed of the Derby failures by auction at the different large towns. By this means he amassed great sums of money, which brought him immediate capital, but which was the death-blow to Derby ware. The old Derby was eagerly bought, but this temporary success resulted in permanent and never-to-be-remedied evil. Seeing how readily the public bought up the Derby ware, the temptation arose to produce large quantities of the ware specially for the auction rooms. The Duesburys would have risen in their graves had they known of these proceedings; but Fate avenged them, for the decline of the Derby factory commenced from this moment.

We give, also from Mr. W. G. Honey’s collection, a fine example of Bloor Derby china; it is five inches in height, and is marked with a crown and the words “Bloor, Derby,” in circle around ([p. 17]).

In 1845 Mr. Robert Bloor died, followed in the next year by his brother Joseph, who had assisted him for many years. For a little while the works were in the hands of a Mr. Clarke, who finally discontinued them and sold most of the models to the Staffordshire manufacturers. The end came in 1848, when a number of the workmen left Derby for ever and migrated into Staffordshire and Worcester. Here, then, is the end of the Old Derby works.

Old Derby china will, therefore, be seen to be divided into two periods—the great Duesbury period and the declining period when Bloor became a factor.

LATER DERBY MARKS.

A word or two to readers who possess specimens of later Derby may be of interest. Among our marks will be seen several other names connected with Derby. In 1848, when the works were closed, a number of the old hands were actuated by the desire to continue the making of china at Derby They, therefore, under the name of Locker and Co., started a little manufactory, and adopted the design we give.

DERBY FIGURE OF PEACOCK.

Richly painted and gilded. Tail in natural colours. Marked D in red.

Mr. Locker died in 1859, and the works were then carried on in the name of Stevenson and Co. Finally we have the name of Courtney, who appears to have been one of Bloor’s agents. Messrs. Stevenson and Hancock adopted the last mark for their wares, after persuasion by connoisseurs, who objected to the use on modern Derby of the old mark of the crown, cross daggers, and

. The legacy which the Bloors and some of the modern successors left to the name of Derby is not a very happy one. The tampering with the marks, or the bartering of modern as old, or the disposal of damaged stock, all go to lessen the faith of the public. As the years go on, the china buyer becomes more discerning, and is not that blind monster which manufacturers too often imagine him to be.

In the hurried sketch we have given of the decline of Old Derby we have little to say of the wonderful biscuit ware which was one of the secrets of Derby, which secret has now been lost. The biscuit figures produced in the best days of Derby are unsurpassed for fineness of modelling and beauty of finish. It was in experimenting to find how Derby produced this biscuit that Copeland discovered his celebrated Parian ware.

There is a peculiar pleasure to the lover of things old and things true in the unravelling of the complicated chain which environs an old factory such as Derby. The lives and ambitions of men, fathers, sons, and grandsons, are bound up with the traditions of the firm. Then trade had somewhat the air about it of the old mediæval guilds. There were secrets which no money could buy. All this lies on the china shelf for you to read, if you care to. Perhaps when your erring maid drops your Derby cup and saucer you will philosophically remember that it is not a cup and saucer, but only as the autumn leaves that are strewn on the grave of Duesbury, the potter—just a symbol to remind you that man’s creations, after all, turn to dust and ashes. But all that is very mournful, and mayhap one shall find you later busy with fish-glue and brush, at which pastime you will need to be a philosopher too.